Well pump



June 16, 1942. J. LANE- WELL PUMP Filed April 16, 1940 Patented June 16, 1942 WELL PUMP Jack Lane, Alhambra, Calif. Application April is, 1940, Serial No. 329,874

7 Claims.

This invention'relates to improvements in well pumps.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved pumping apparatus that can be easily and quickly installed in a well and effectively pump the same and which can be easily and quickly withdrawn from a well when occasion requires to facilitate cleaning, repair,

and replacement whenever this is necessary. In-

the conventional pumping apparatus, the pump is installed or lowered into the well by means of a tubing suspended within the,.casing. When the pump becomes sanded or for any other reason it is necessary to withdraw the pump from the well and to either clean, repair, or replace it, it is necessary to withdraw this long string of tubing which involves the use of a suitable derrick and a crew. After the pump has been withdrawn and has received the required attention the stands of the tubing must again be'assembled and lowered into the well to reinstall the pump. The present invention has for one of its primary objects the ability to installthe pump in the well avoiding the use of the relatively expensive tubing and avoiding the time and labor required to assemble together and disassemble the stands that make up the same. By means of the improved apparatus the pump can be lowered into the well and set at the desired position therein by means of a cable, and when it is required to withdraw the pump for cleaning; repair, or replacement purposes, the pump can be very easily and quickly pulled by winding up the cable on a suitable drum or draw-works which, if desired, may be portable and thus transported readily from well to well.

More specifically an object of the invention is to provide a pumping apparatus wherein the pumping unit is lowered into the well by means of the cable and which has suitable packing means and slips that can be set when the pump has been lowered to the,desired level or depth. The packing means and slips are so arranged that whenever it is desired to withdraw the pump the packing means can be easily and quickly collapsed and contracted and the slips likewise can be easily retracted so that there is very little danger of the pump becoming immovably lodged in-the well-in such a manner as to prevent withdrawal of the pump by means of the cable. It will be readily understood that inwithdrawing the pump from the well or lowering it into the well by means of the cable a great amount of time and labor is saved as compared with assembling and disassembling stands of tubing.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawing for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein: Figure 1 is a vertical section through the improved well pumping unit embodying the present invention and may be considered as having been taken upon the line l--l upon Fig. 3;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the pumping unit parts being broken away and shown in vertical section, the sectional portion of this view being taken substantially upon the line 2-2 upon Fig. 3; i Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken over the top of the pumping unit substantially upon the lipe 3-3 upon Fig. 1; and

Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are horizontal sections taken substantially upon the lines 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, and 1-1, respectively, upon Fig. 1.

Referring to the accompanying drawing wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, the improved pumping unit comprises a body In to which is attached a pump housing H within which there is a suitable pump l2. The pump l2 may be of any preferred form of construction and may, if desired, be a piston or plunger type pump although a rotary type of pump is preferred. While a gear type pump may be employed or other forms of rotary pumps may be used, I have illustrated a pump having an eccentrically arranged rotor I 3 within which there is a slidable vane I30. This rotor is driven by an electric motor l5 disposed within a motor housing l5. Any suitable driving connection between the motor and the rotor may be employed. The driving connection illustrated, however, comprises a worm drive l6 and meshing miter gears H. The fluid that is to be pumped, such as for example the oil in an oil well, enters the rotor housing through apertures l8 and then enters through inlet apertures I9 where it is picked up by the vane I30 and expelled through the outlet apertures 20. As illustrated upon the drawing the rotor housing 2| is readily removable so as to be conveniently replaceable.

The body l0 has a vertical passage therethrough indicated at 22 through which the oil expelled from the pump is forced to pass. The body II] also provides cylinders 23 for pistons 24 which are operatively connected to slips 25 on aslip cone 26. As shown on Fig. 6, these slips prererably have a dove-tailed connection with the slip cone. The bore 22 leads to the interior of a sleeve or tube 21 which carries a cap 28 on which is mounted a check valve and cage indicated at 29. The sleeve or tube 21 is slidable within the top of the body but is normally held in lowermost position therein by means of springs 30 surrounding bolts 3i which are housed by means of caps 32. In other words, the strength of the springs 30 is such as to be capable of supporting or suspending the entire pumping unit below cap 28. The juncture of the cap 28 with the tube or sleeve 21 provides a type of valve that seats on complementary seating surfaces 33 at the top of the body and below this.valve there are ports 34 formed in the sleeve. The body has an annular groove 35 formed thereon which receives a flanged packer rubber 36 capable of being expanded. This groove receives fluid pressure from the interior of the tube or sleeve 21 through ports 3'! formed in the sleeve and passages 38 formed in the body. Ports 39 formed adjacent the bottom of the sleeve are capable of being brought into registry with passages 40 which lead to a peripheral groove 4|. One of these passages communicates with the vertical passage 42 extending through the body and connected to a short section of tubing 43 equipped with a check valve 44. On top of the cap 28 there is securely fastened a bail 45 to which may be connected the bottom of a suspended cable 46. This suspended cable preferably has disposed within it two or more conductors which lead from the end of the cable as indicated at 41 to the motor housing, a suitable joint being incorporated therein as indicated at 48. It is not essential that the conductors that supply electric current to the motor I4 be incorporated in the suspended cable itself. On the contrary, if desired, the suspending cable 46 may be any conventional steel cable and the conductors that conduct current to the motor may lead downwardly in the well along the side of the suspending cable.

The installation and advantages of the improved pumping apparatus are as follows: The pumping apparatus assembled as above described, is lowered into the well by means of the cable 46 to the desired depth. This is very easily and quickly accomplished by merely unwinding the cable from the drum or suitable hoist, or drawworks. When it reaches the desired level current is supplied to the electric motor M which starts the pump. The liquid that is forced from the pump into bore 22 is also effective on the pistons 24 to slide the slips 25 upwardly on the slip cone' 26, thus expanding the slips into firm engagement with the interior of the casing. The oil or fluid that is forced upwardly into the sleeve or tube 21 also becomes efiective on the interior of the packing rubber 36 through ports 31 and passages 38, thus expanding the rubber into packing engagement with the walls of the casing. The expelled fluid finally issues from the pumping unit above the expanded packer, past the check valve 29. It will be noted that the seat for the check valve 29 is relatively small, choking back the issuing fluid only to that extent required to set the slips and to maintain the packing rubber in expanded position.

With the slips and packing rubber thus set and expanded continued operation of the pump by means of the electric motor l4 causes the well to be pumped.

It will be noted that in this form of construction that the use of tubing is entirely eliminated and that the body It! is set and supported adequately to sustain the column of liquid pumped by means of the set slips. Also, the pressure imposed by the column of fluid is effective to maintain the packing rubber 38 fully expanded as long as the pumping operation continues. When it becomes, desirable or necessary to pull the pump from the well for purposes of cleaning, inspection, repair, or replacement. the supply of current to the motor is first cut oil. A mere discontinuance of the operation of the pump, however, does not permit of retraction of the slips or contraction of the packing rubber 36. An upward pull imposed on the cable 46 causes the spring 30 to be compressed and the cap 28 together with the sleeve or tube 21 to be lifted. When the cap 28 is lifted communication is then established between the interior-cf the sleeve or tube 21 and the exterior of the pumping unit so that the pressures on the exterior and the interior of the pumping unit become equalized enabling the slips to contract and enabling the packing rubber 36 to collapse or contract to its original normal position. A continued pull will normally cause the slips to slide downwardly on the slip cone and the packing rubber to be pulled free even though it may have a tendency to vulcanize itself to the interior of the casing. As soon as the slips and the packing rubber are free, the strength of the springs being capable of supporting the entire pumping unit the valve at the top of sleeve 21 is again closed and the construction can be withdrawn from the well. With the packing rubber thus collapsed fluid standing in the well above the pumping apparatus may pass downwardly around the exterior of the apparatus. Thus the entire construction can be easily and quickly removed from the well by winding up the cable on the hoist, drum, or draw-works. The pump can then be inspected, repaired, or have the necessary parts replaced and the entire construction re-installed in the well with a minimum of loss of time and a minimum amount of labor.

The purpose of passage 42 and the pipe 43 together with the check valve 44 is to provide a form of by-pass around the pump and through the packer. Thus. if the well should start to flow while the pump is installed it may readily do so by flowing into groove 4| and into the passage that leads to the vertical passage 42. If the well stops flowing check valve 44 immediately closes and the pump continues to operate in the normal manner.

It will readily be appreciated that many changes in the design are, possible and that the arrangement also may vary. In some instances it may be advisable to locate the motor 14 adjacent the top of the unit and to drive the rotor by means of a shaft leading from the motor. With the motor located adjacent the top it is somewhat easier to arrange the conductors that supply the electric current to the motor.

Although it is preferable to have the packing and the slips hydraulically expanded by the fluid discharged from the pump it will be readily appreciated that mechanical .or electrical means may be substituted therefor. such as for example solenoid may be disposed about the pistons for the slips and the pistons converted into armatures for the solenoids. These solenoids being in circuit with the motor will, of course, actuate their armatures and set the slips whenever electric current is supplied to the motor. The packing means may be similarly expanded.

From the above-described construction it will be appreciated that the improved pumping apparatus can be very easily and quickly installed in the well and removed therefrom, that the use of tubing is entirely eliminated yet the pump is equipped with adequate slips and packing to enable its being easily installed and removed by means of cable 46.

Various changes may be made in the details of of construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A well pump comprising in combination an electrically operable pump, flexible means by which the pump may be lowered into a well, means operable by pressure developed in the outlet from the pump upon energizing of the pump for setting the pump in the well and preventing leakage around it, and means operable by an upward'pull upon therifl exible means for draining fluid in the well abov'the pump to enable the pump to be pulled from the well by the flexible means.

2. A well pump comprising in combination an electrically operable pump, flexible means by which the pump may be lowered into the well, hydraulically operable slips and packing means operable by fluid pressure in the well above" the.

pump to set and pack off around the pump in the well upon operation of the pump, and means operable by an upward pull imposed on the flexible means for draining fluid in the well above the pump downwardly past the pump so as to release the slips and packing means enabling the pump to be pulled from the well by the flexible means.

3. A well pump comprising in combination an electrically operable pump, flexible means by which the pump may be lowered into a well, hydraulically operable means operable by fluid pressure created by operation of the pump for setting the pumpand packing ofi around it, and means providing a by-pass around the pack-off permitting upward flow but not downward flow so that fluid may flow upwardly through said bypass in the event that the well starts to flow.

4. A well pump comprising in combination an electrically operable pump, flexible means by which the pump may be lowered into the well, hydraulically settable slips operable by pressure created in the outlet from the pump for setting the pump, packing means for packing off around the pump operable by pressure created in the outlet from the pump, meansproviding a bypass around at least the packing means, a sleeve and below the packing means, said sleeve valve sleeve valve being connected to the flexible means so as to be opened thereby, and spring means for normally holding the sleeve valve in bypass closing position.

5. A Well pump comprising in combination an electrically operable pump, flexible means by which the pump may be lowered into the well,

hydraulically settable slips operable by pressure created in the outlet from the pump for setting the pump, packing means for packing off around the pump operable by pressure created in the outlet from the pump, means providing a bypass around at least the packing means, valve means connected to said flexible means "and operable thereby to open the by-pass and means for normally holding said valve in by-pass closing position. i

6. A well pump comprising in combination an electrically operable pump, flexible means by which the pump may be lowered into a well, slips mounted on the pump having pistons exposed to outlet pressure from the pump, packing means above the slips internally exposed to outlet pressure from the pump so as to be expanded thereby, ports above and below the packing-means, a sleeve valve having ports adapted to register with said ports and additional ports for conveying fluid pressure to the interior of the packing means, spring means holding the sleeve valve in that position wherein its first mentioned ports are out of register with the ports above and below the packing means, said sleeve valve being connected to said flexible means.

7. A well pump comprising-in combination an electrically operable pump, flexible means by which the pump may be lowered into a well, slips mounted on the pump having pistons exposed to outlet pressure from the pump, packing means above the slips internally exposed to outlet pressure from the pump so as to be expanded thereby, ports above and below the packing means, a sleeve valve having ports adapted to register with said ports and additional ports for conveying fluid pressure to the interior of the packing means, spring means holding the sleeve valve in that position wherein its first mentioned ports are out of register with the ports above being connected to said flexible means, the ports in the sleeve valve which convey pressure to the interior of the packing means being so arranged as to keep the interior of the packing means open in all positions.

JACK LANE. 

